Featured on Houzz: Kosher Kitchen

Thank you, Houzz, for featuring this exciting project.

This featured home belongs to a lovely family, and they needed a special design for their kitchen in order to keep kosher.

In keeping with the total separation of meat and dairy required in the kosher kitchen, separate sets of dishes, pots, silverware, serving dishes, bread trays and salt shakers are needed. These different sets should be kept in separate cabinets.

Our designers at Superior Woodcraft helped them design a kitchen that would work for their needs. One feature we love is the convenience of two dishwashers. Paired with dedicated cabinetry space and two refrigerators, this design element makes organization in the kosher kitchen a breeze.

Preparing Your Home for Winter

With the exception of a few cold and rainy days, we have been enjoying a beautiful fall here in the Northeast. When the weather is warm and sunny it’s hard to think about colder days.

But unfortunately (or fortunately for those of us who love the cold and snow), winter will soon be upon us. What can you do to make sure your home and garden are prepared?

Here are a few basic tips that can help:

Indoors:

Have your furnace tuned-up and schedule a chimney cleaning.
Clean your dryer vents.
Make sure storm doors are in place.
Use heat shrinkable plastic to cover any drafty windows and glass doors.
Use plastic to close off any outside air conditioning units; if you have window units, remove them and seal the windows.
Make sure fireplace dampers are closed when not in use.
Consider using programmable thermostats to save energy.
Check on the level of insulation and weather stripping – maybe replacements or more is required.
Since you are sealing off fresh air it is also a good time to check the batteries on your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.
Now, check for air leaks again and repeat until you are satisfied.
Consider investing in a Home Energy Audit using a blower door test and thermal camera. Make sure your audit is completed by a qualified home energy audit or check with your utility company to see if they provide free assessments. This audit could pay you dividends by the end of the winter.

Investing in insulation, caulk, weatherstripping and plastic to reduce air leaks is the best investment you can possibly make. Be the wise, safe, more comfortable and sustainable investor this winter by doing these few simple steps to avoid having your money blow through the chimney or leaky windows and doors. You will not be disappointed in the results.

Outside

Remove fallen leaves, sticks and debris from your roof, gutters, down
spouts and drains so water can be properly channeled away from your home. This will help avoid some costly problems when winter arrives.
Trim your trees and shrubs – trim off any dead to help prevent diseases.
Turn off outdoor water faucets – you do not want an icy mess and a plumbing bill.
Check roof for any problem areas and debris and make repairs now.
Do a visual check of the outside of your home and look to see where air or critters could be coming in
Put away the grill and garden furniture, or invest in a good furniture cover. Or, if you are like me, make sure you can shovel a path to the grill for year-round grilling!
Check driveways, walkways, stairs and railings for damage to prevent injuries over the winter and to make shoveling easier.
Stock up on winter necessities, such as firewood, ice-melt (make sure it is pet friendly), car and home emergency kits, ice scrapers, and have that snowblower serviced.
Finally, check the tire pressure on your car and anti-freeze levels.

Last tip – do these steps now before it gets too cold. Avoid having more problems and regrets at 3 am on the coldest night of winter while you are waiting for the heater repairman and the plumber to arrive for an emergency visit.

Photos from the Field

Our field trips have been local of late, and most recently took us to this new kitchen.

Besides the clean look of the white cabinets, we love the natural light in this kitchen.

The shelving above the sink is not only an attractive feature, it provides a great place for an indoor herb garden or a great location to display your favorite orchids.

Below – the stainless steel refrigerator is flanked by beautiful tall white custom cabinets with glass on the top third of the doors.

Coastal Living Features a Superior Home

We first introduced you to this Nantucket home a few weeks ago. Now you can own a superior coastal home as Modern in Monomoy is currently for sale.

This exquisite home was designed by White Hart Interiors & Development with custom cabinetry throughout by Superior Woodcraft. We just love the modern design in a traditional Nantucket home.

This home was recently featured in Coastal Living’s Daily Catch. Couldn’t you see yourself relaxing here?

Clean lines and open spaces make this a great home for entertaining –

This home has ample windows, which allow natural light to filter into the indoor living spaces.

To see more click here for Modern In Monomoy’s Sotheby’s listing.

Before and After – Redesigning Spaces

Guest Post by Donna Hoffman of Interiors by Donna Hoffman

Client Problem: After Interiors by Donna Hoffman (IDH) designed the first floor of a client’s home, her mother, who lived in the adjoining in-law suite, made a request to have her own space redesigned. For a beautiful and young-at-heart octogenarian, the in-law- suite just wasn’t hitting the mark, as can be clearly seen in these BEFORE pictures –

Her wish? More comfort, more beauty, better function, more storage…and….COLOR! Our client also wanted a mini-kitchen unit; more storage for shoes, clothing and jewelry, a work station, and a comfortable place to relax on her own or to entertain guests.

The Solution: The IDH team, led by Donna Hoffman, began with the client’s favorite colors, used in a striking palette of red, cream and raspberry and a bold use of pattern to set the stage.

Better furniture space planning maximized the available space, now with ample seating, safer footing and high performance and beautiful cabinetry designed by Superior Woodcraft. No rugs are used in the project in order to adhere to Design for Aging in Place parameters. However, even without rugs, this space has it all!

The striking raspberry cabinet, also by Superior Woodcraft, actually houses a mini-fridge, a microwave, a small food storage pantry and a slide out drawer concealing the printer used with the nearby elegant desk. In the main living area, classic cabinetry, deliberately kept in a soft white to help open up the space, boasts concealed shoe storage drawers and columns that open to hold an extensive costume jewelry collection.

Additional clothing storage along with full length mirrors are contained within each of the large side cabinets. The results are so beautiful that we’ve heard that both daughter and son-in-law and grandchildren are said to come in for lots more hang out time!

Room Design by Donna Hoffman, Interiors by Donna Hoffman

Photography by photographer David Van Scott

Cabinetry by Superior Woodcraft

Donna Hoffman, owner of Interiors by Donna Hoffman, is a multi-award winning designer. Based in Bucks County and working all around the tri-state area, Hoffman specializes in wise luxury design that expresses a client’s unique design fingerprint, as well as design for couples.

Photos From the Field: Modern in Monomoy

Photos From the Field – Nantucket, Massachusetts

We just love the field trips to great locations. We recently had the opportunity to visit a freshly completed project in Nantucket. This exciting Superior Woodcraft project was completed with White Hart Interiors & Development.

When I hear the word Nantucket I typically think of 17^th and 18^th century style architecture, blue-gray weathered homes with white trim and decorating with antiques. This Nantucket home brings a different flavor to the island. Forget about the stereo-typical Nantucket home and explore Modern In Monomoy.

Through thoughtful design, Modern in Monomoy captures the essence of Nantucket while bringing something new and unexpected. Its all white palette with dark accents and clean lines brings modern flair to this traditional island.
Modern in Monomoy is chic, captures the essence of Nantucket and modern all at the same time.

Come and take a tour of this wonderful Nantucket Home – Modern In Monomoy.

Trending On Houzz

Here are the top three Superior Woodcraft projects trending on Houzz. With over 300,000 views within the last 90 days these projects are definitely popular. Check out Houzz to see more photos from these top projects.

Superior Woodcraft Kosher Kitchen

Two Miele Dishwashers located directly in front of the storage area for the dishware is convenient and helps simplify keeping a Kosher Kitchen

Ice maker located in the kitchen directly next to the beverage refrigeration makes getting a cold drink on a hot summer day a breeze

Nantucket Bijoux

Floating shelves above the wet bar and wine refrigeration

Be sure to visit Houzz to find your favorite Superior Woodcraft project. Will your favorites become a top trending Superior Woodcraft photo on Houzz?

Notes From The Field – May 2015

Balcony View from New Home Site

We have been doing a lot of field trips this spring. The weather has been fantastic and we can’t resist visiting project sites with clients and enjoying the great weather. The latest field trip took us a bit further than the usual jaunt in the car. We had the pleasure of visiting a new job site at the Ocean Reef Club located in Key Largo, FL. Since the project is still in the design phase we don’t have the great cabinetry photos to share from this trip. However, any location that includes palm trees, blue water and white sand is perfect after the winter we had in the Northeast, and was quiet the pleasant contrast to our trip to Nantucket in mid-winter.

First Floor View

This home will be absolutely beautiful with plenty of space to view the outdoors and enjoy the Florida sun.

As you can see construction has just begun. Within a few months we should be able to share some photos of the completed cabinetry project. For now the palm trees, blue water and white sand will provide inspiration for this project as we handcraft the custom cabinetry in our shop back in Doylestown. Mother Nature is a wonderful muse.

Photos From The Field II

Rosewood & Stainless Steel Nightstands

We had great sunny weather last week; so we just had to stay out in the field and enjoy the sunshine. Here are some photos from last week’s excursion. Fantastic rosewood & stainless steel nightstands custom made by Superior Woodcraft.

There is something about the look of rosewood that is just stunning when incorporate stainless steel into the design.

River Sunken Mahogany Tables

The river sunken mahogany tables have been a pet project. I find it fascinating to think about the history of these trees. How long ago were these boards a living tree? How did the logs wind up in the river bottom? How long did these mahogany logs rest on the river’s bottom being sunken and protected in mud? If only these planks could tell their full story. We had two planks of river sunken mahogany that couldn’t be utilized on a job. These boards were too beautiful to discard and after being rescued from the depths I just couldn’t imagine discarding them. So, we invented a new life for two planks of river sunken mahogany. We custom designed steel legs and finished them with the look of color case hardening. Now these two planks of mahogany have new lives as coffee tables or small benches. We hope these two new pieces of custom furniture will provide beauty for many generations to come.

Steel Legs Color Case Harden Finish Custom Designed by Superior Woodcraft

River Sunken Mahogany with live edges

Photos from the Field

We haven’t had many posts lately. Besides doing a lot of spring paperwork for the government we have been spending a good amount of time out of the shop at job sites. These pictures are from some recent site visits of work in progress. We hope that he enjoy the newest Superior Woodcraft creations.

These photos show custom made cabinetry by Superior Woodcraft. This white oak cabinetry was finished with a hand rubbed European stain. This European stain is a plant-based oil finish, VOC-free and is completely non-toxic. Plus it looks great as well. The custom made counter tops are made from engineered concrete.

We hope that you enjoyed these photos from the field. Stay tuned for additional field photos of Superior Woodcraft’s cabinetry.

Latest Custom Made Projects by Superior Woodcraft

We just returned to the Superior Woodcraft workshop after visiting two of our latest projects. On a cold, snowy day these new living spaces by Superior Woodcraft just felt so warm and comfortable that we had to share them with everyone. We hope that these photos of Superior Woodcraft’s newest projects brings a little warmth to your winter day.

Superior Woodcraft Custom Made Entertainment Center

The rustic fireplace mantel is an ideal material to complement the natural stone.

We hope that you enjoyed these photos and that they brought some warmth and a smile to your day. Stay warm, enjoy the treasures of winter and think spring.